"Invisible Ghost" casts iconic horror actor Bela Lugosi as a deranged man who has been separated from his wife and has turned unwittingly into a homicidal somnambulist. The fact that he can recall nothing about the murders that he has committed imbues an air of mystery to this bizarre, sometimes surreal Monogram Pictures' release. Mind you, the outlandish story and screenplay by Helen and Al Martin seems to take a lot for granted, especially the short-sightedness of the local authorities who have put their best brains on the case and remain baffled by the shortage of clues. Horror filmmakers rely on our fear of the unknown to scare us, and so much of what "Invisible Ghost" consists of is so preposterous that it acquires a creepy, provocative quality. The Martins even insert a pair of look-alike brothers to shake up the characters. Nevertheless, despite the lack of cohesion in the plot, "Gun Crazy" director Joseph H. Lewis makes this brisk, 65-minute, low-budget murder-mystery look better than it has any right. He uses pans, tilts, and interesting camera set-ups, including shooting over the flames in the fireplace to give "Invisible Ghost" a hypnotic look. The crisp black & white photography of co-lensers Harvey Gould and Marcel Le Picard adds a luster to this routine Sam Katzman production.
Review of Invisible Ghost
